Linux 3.1 Kernel Supports Wake On Wireless LAN

While Linux has supported WOL (Wake-On-LAN) for wired network adapters, the Linux 3.1 kernel prepares support for WWOL, or Wake On Wireless LAN.

Similar to the wired Wake-On-LAN, WWOL allows the system to suspend (ACPI S3) or enter another low-power state while keeping the wireless interface(s) active. Events like receiving a user-specified pattern of packets, a magic packet frame, or being disconnected from an access point can then trigger the system to return to its default state. This could also be used for automatically resuming the system when the wireless network adapter locates a suitable WiFi network to connect.

This support comes via patches that were originally published back in May (on linux-wireless) and during the Linux 3.1 merge window they finally worked their way into the mainline tree.

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the web-site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience and being the largest web-site devoted to Linux hardware reviews, particularly for products relevant to Linux gamers and enthusiasts but also commonly reviewing servers/workstations and embedded Linux devices. Michael has written more than 10,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics hardware drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated testing software. He can be followed via Twitter and Google+ or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.